Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

MASSCAN VS ZMap

Compare MASSCAN VS ZMap and see what are their differences

MASSCAN logo MASSCAN

This is the fastest Internet port scanner.

ZMap logo ZMap

ZMap is a fast single packet network scanner designed for Internet-wide network surveys.
  • MASSCAN Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-04
  • ZMap Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-30

MASSCAN features and specs

  • Speed
    MASSCAN is known for its incredibly fast scanning capabilities, capable of scanning the entire Internet in under 6 minutes. It achieves this speed by sending packets asynchronously and using highly efficient network code.
  • Scalability
    The tool is highly scalable and can be used to scan large network ranges. It supports a range of port scanning methods, which makes it a versatile choice for different network environments.
  • Customizability
    MASSCAN allows users to customize their scanning tasks through extensive configuration options, including the ability to define specific ports, IP ranges, and rate limits, which can be tailored to meet specific project needs.
  • Cross-Platform
    MASSCAN is cross-platform and can be compiled and run on various operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and macOS, which makes it accessible to a wide range of users.

Possible disadvantages of MASSCAN

  • Lack of Detail
    While MASSCAN is excellent for fast scans and identifying open ports, it doesn't offer detailed service information or insights that more in-depth tools like Nmap provide, requiring supplementary tools for comprehensive scans.
  • Risk of Network Disruption
    Due to its high-speed scanning capabilities, MASSCAN can potentially overwhelm network devices or trigger firewalls and intrusion detection systems, posing a risk of network disruption if not managed carefully.
  • Requires Advanced Networking Knowledge
    The tool is designed for users with advanced networking knowledge, as improper configuration or use can result in inaccurate results or unintended network issues.
  • Legal and Ethical Concerns
    MASSCAN's ability to rapidly scan large network ranges can lead to legal and ethical concerns if used without proper authorization, making it essential for users to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

ZMap features and specs

  • High-Speed Scanning
    ZMap is designed to scan the entire IPv4 address space quickly, often in less than an hour, making it ideal for large-scale scanning projects.
  • Open Source
    ZMap is an open-source project, allowing users to inspect, modify, and enhance the code according to their needs, fostering a collaborative environment.
  • Scalable
    ZMap is highly efficient in resource usage, enabling it to be used on a wide range of hardware from powerful servers to modest personal computers.
  • Wide Range of Applications
    The tool can be used for various tasks such as network measurement, security research, and data collection among others.
  • Extensive Community Support
    Being popular in the network research community, it enjoys substantial documentation, tutorials, and community-driven support.

Possible disadvantages of ZMap

  • Potential for Abuse
    The high-speed capabilities of ZMap can be misused for malicious activities like unauthorized network scanning or cyber-attacks.
  • Network Load
    ZMap can generate significant network traffic, which could disrupt normal operations or attract attention from network administrators and intrusion detection systems.
  • Complex Configuration
    Setting up and fine-tuning ZMap for specific tasks requires a good understanding of both the tool and the network being scanned, which may be challenging for beginners.
  • Legal and Ethical Concerns
    Running wide-scale scans can raise legal and ethical questions, particularly if done without explicit permission, potentially leading to legal repercussions.
  • Limited to IPv4
    ZMap primarily targets the IPv4 address space and may not be as effective or optimized for IPv6, which is increasingly being adopted.

MASSCAN videos

Tool Review - Masscan (Scan the whole internet)

More videos:

  • Review - SCANNING AT SCALE (masscan, nmap, axiom, recon.dev)

ZMap videos

zMap App Demo.mov

More videos:

  • Review - H109 - Network discovery scans with Zmap
  • Review - zmap

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MASSCAN and ZMap)
Monitoring Tools
65 65%
35% 35
Security
56 56%
44% 44
Network Scanning
49 49%
51% 51
Security Monitoring
36 36%
64% 64

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare MASSCAN and ZMap

MASSCAN Reviews

15 Best Nmap Alternatives Network Security Scanner
Masscan has a capacity of as much as 1.6 million packets per second on its Linux version. That is not all, Masscan can scale up to a hundred million packets per second on a computer that is rigged with eight 10 Gpbs installed cards that run on PF RING driver.
Alternatives to Nmap: from simple to advanced network scanning
By default, Masscan’s scan rate is 100,000 packets-per-second. The macOS or Windows version of this tool can be set to 300,000 packets-per-second. On Linux, Masscan can do 1.6 million packets-per-second. But it can scan up to 100 million packets-per-second on a computer rigged with eight 10-Gbps network cards installed in it and running the PF_RING driver.

ZMap Reviews

9 Best Angry IP Scanner Alternatives Reviewed 2021 (Free & Paid)
ZMap, just like Nmap and other network scanners can search for connected devices, probe ports, and discover services both in local and external networks. One of the biggest distinctions between the two tools is how they scan. Nmap was built to be a flexible multi-tool that can probe a large number of ports on a smaller number of devices. Where ZMap is optimized to probe an...
15 Best Nmap Alternatives Network Security Scanner
We also have the ZAnnotate on the ZMap project. This adds more metadata to IP addresses such as routing data and location.
Alternatives to Nmap: from simple to advanced network scanning
The headliner is the single-packet scanner ZMap. ZGrab is an application-state scanner that works alongside ZMap. ZTag annotates data outputted by ZMap with metadata, such as device information and any vulnerabilities found. ZBlacklist helps you quickly filter out IP addresses by organizations that have requested not to be scanned. ZAnnotate adds metadata to IPs such as...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, MASSCAN should be more popular than ZMap. It has been mentiond 29 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

MASSCAN mentions (29)

  • Scanners Beware: Welcome to the Network from Hell
    It's a nice dream of "owning" the attackers but it doesn't have a real security value. [1] https://github.com/robertdavidgraham/masscan. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • What You Get After Running an SSH Honeypot for 30 Days
    A lot of these seem to use zmap (https://github.com/zmap/zmap) for the initial scan. Often with default parameters such as zmap setting ip id to 54321, having tcp initial window at 65535, having no SACK bit set and masscan with no SACK bit either, tcp initial window at 1024, tcp maximum segment size 1460 (which is strange to put below initial window size!), (older versions having fixed src port 61000 or 60000 from... - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • Mass Scanning
    Can I get banned for mass scanning with https://github.com/robertdavidgraham/masscan or does it slow down any other vms from other persons? Source: about 2 years ago
  • Has anyone ever had their homelab or network hacked? What happened?
    Nope, this doesn't work any more. Shodan checks all ports (so any attackers using data from Shodan already know which ports you have open), and tools like masscan (https://github.com/robertdavidgraham/masscan) let you portscan the entire IPv4 address space in less than 10 minutes. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Private server intruded
    The discord user at the time used the tool "Masscan" to scan every 25565 port on the internet, he claims he was able to get the entire internet scanned in just a few minutes with a 512MB buyvm slice. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

ZMap mentions (7)

  • My cousin leaked my public ip address to someone
    They already had your IP. The whole internet (IPv4 adress space) can be scanned in less than one hour (see: https://zmap.io. Source: over 2 years ago
  • The internet is a global village, not a metropolis
    The numbers above demonstrate that it is theoretically possible to mass scan the entire internet. Effective free-to-use tools can be used to perform mass scans, converting this academic opportunity into practice. ZMap, Masscan, and others promise to scan the entire public IPv4 address space in some ten minutes or so on a typical desktop computer with a gigabit Ethernet connection. Researchers proved that the time... - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • My First 5 Minutes On A Server; Or, Essential Security for Linux Servers
    Seconds, not minutes or days. https://zmap.io. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Python Port Scanner: Faster than Nmap.
    Zmap (zmap.io) is probably the fastest port scanner. But afaik it's main usage is to scan 1 port on the whole internet instead of all ports on one IP (but you can, too). Source: over 3 years ago
  • Awesome Penetration Testing
    Zmap - Open source network scanner that enables researchers to easily perform Internet-wide network studies. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing MASSCAN and ZMap, you can also consider the following products

Nmap - Nmap Free Security Scanner, Port Scanner, & Network Exploration Tool. Download open source software for Linux, Windows, UNIX, FreeBSD, etc.

Advanced IP Scanner - Advanced IP Scanner shows all network devices, gives you access to shared folders, and can even remotely switch computers off. Download it Free.

Angry IP Scanner - Open-source and cross-platform network scanner designed to be fast and simple to use

SolarWinds Engineers Toolset - Over 60 great tools to help network engineers troubleshoot issues before users are affected. Download a 14-day trial and explore all the tools for free!

Winsock Packet Editor - WPE Pro is a packet editor.

Zenmap - Zenmap is the official cross-platform GUI for the Nmap Security Scanner.